Free-space optical could ‘hop’ over tricky terrain with fiber-like speeds

Is it still fiber broadband if it doesn’t include the optical glass or the cable coating surrounding the glass? X-Lumin, a company that does free-space optical technology, says the answer is “yes." And the company thinks it has something special to offer operators deploying fiber because its technology is useful in places where physical fiber connections are impractical. Free-space optical technology uses laser-light beams to wirelessly transmit data without having to use fiber optic cable. Zev Suissa, chief growth officer with X-Lumin, said of the company’s technology, “It’s the same beam of light that goes down a fiber optic cable. The only difference is, we shoot over free space.” The beam is transmitted from one optical head and received by another optical head that have line of sight with each other. The technology can be used to “hop” the beams over long distances without losing any throughput. The company is hoping to participate in all the activity to deploy fiber across the United States.